Reciprocity Between Goal Orientation and Motivational Climate in Different Groups of Athletes

Abstract

One of the most widely used conceptual frameworks for studying motivation in sport is the theory of achievement goal orientation. The aim of the present study is to reveal the reciprocity between the goal orientation and the motivational climate in different groups of athletes. The subject of the research is a group of 218 athletes, practicing individual sports (track and field, orienteering, cycling, figure skating, biathlon, crosscountry skiing, short track speed skating), collective sports (football, volleyball, handball) and single combat (boxing, wrestling, judo, karate). The methodological toolkit includes a Task and Ego Orientation in the Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ) and a Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire-2 (PMCSQ-2). It was determined that the goal orientation towards the task and the motivational climate towards mastery dominated the studied athletes. The results of the regression analysis show that the goal orientation towards the task is determined by the component significance of the role (β = 0,467 **) of the motivational climate oriented towards mastery. The goal orientation towards the ego is stimulated by the motivation-oriented component of the performance-unequal recognition (β = 0,331 **). The obtained results confirm the hypothesis that the motivational climate oriented towards mastery is related to the goal orientation towards the task and respectively the motivational climate towards the performance is related to the goal orientation towards the ego.